CHICAGO – Ashley Cimino of McAuley High School in Portland has been named the Gatorade Maine Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Cimino joins Sarah Marshall (2001-02, ’02-03, McAuley) and Cindy Blodgett (’91-92, ’92-93, Lawrence of Fairfield) as the state’s only other multiple Gatorade winners.

Cimino, along with her fellow state winners, is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in late March. State winners are selected not only for their outstanding athletic performance, but also for meeting high academic-achievement standards while demonstrating exemplary personal character on and off the court.

Cimino led the Lions to a 20-2 record and to the Class A state final this season, averaging 15.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots per game. The 6-foot-3 senior forward is also a McDonald’s All-American Game selection.

Cimino has maintained an “A” average in the classroom and, in addition to being a senior class officer, serves as an active volunteer in her community, devoting long hours to coaching youth players.

“She has a confidence, a maturity, a sense of leadership and a high IQ for the game. I cannot say enough about what she’s done for our program and for girls basketball in Maine,” McAuley coach Will Smith said. “She’s a gifted shooter at 6-foot-3, she runs the floor well, she passes well – all the things you hate to see graduate.”

Cimino will attend Stanford University on a basketball scholarship this fall.